Running from the truth
by MyGhela
Summary: He just kept walking, not really sure where he was going, and soon enough he found himself running. He was running, running away from the truth. Jerome/Willow/Mara


_Running from the truth_

Jerome Clarke was a lot of things.

He was, in the past always labeled as an uncaring and manipulative person. People always assumed he was a cold heartless person who only cared about himself. He didn't really care for anyone or anything that didn't give something back to him. Either financial or simply in a humorous aspect. A prankster, troublemaker and could easily sell you out, if the price was right.

He was also a very troubled young lad. People didn't really look past his cold exterior to see that behind his mischievous smirk, was just a vulnerable boy. He bullied up walls to protect himself, so no one could see the side of him that was more sensitive.

He pushed people away, always keeping people arms length from him, and it pained him.

But, all those things seemed to change when he fell in love. In love with Mara Jaffray.

The girl was pretty much brilliant and perfect in every way, well, in his eyes at least.

He tore down the wall he spent years building when she said one simple word. One word, three letters that made him melt.

_Yes_.

He recalled that most precious moment when she had agreed to going out with him. He was the happiest person in the world.

She was finally his, after two years of trying make her notice him, she was finally his.

But, it didn't really last long.

He screwed up.

"_I'm sorry" He said over the phone but the line went dead._

_He tried calling her again but it just went to voice mail. He tried to talk to her in person, always trying to find her in the sea of people in the corridors in school but to no avail. Even back at the boarding house, she wouldn't even look at him. _

He remembered the night when she found out, everything about that night was colored in a horrid color of dull gray.

"_Why?" She asked her voice threatening to break, tears on the brink of spilling from her eyes. "Why? Haven't I loved you enough? Weren't you happy with me? Did you not love me anymore?"_

Her words echoed in his mind over and over again like a broke record. How could he be such a fool?

"_Mara, I'm so sorry" He banged on her door and when he heard the turning of the knob, hoped flooded over him but it was quickly disband when, instead of Mara, he saw Joy._

"_She doesn't want to talk to you." She stated sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at him with eyes that could melt glass. _

_Over the shoulder of the tiny girl, he could see Mara, his Mara on her bed. Back against him. _

"_Look, Joy. You have to talk to Mara for me" He pleaded. _

_He didn't look like himself, Joy thought. He looked tired, eyes weary. Far from the mischievous prankster he always portrayed himself to be._

"_Why would I?" She asked her tone venomous "After what you did to her, you're lucky Patricia hasn't slit your throat" _

_With that she slammed the door in front of him. Jerome sighed and decided to rest for the night. Try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and the next day, until she forgives him._

**Linebreak**

Willow Jenks tried to smile but with watery eyes and trembling lips she couldn't force herself to, it was too painful.

This was far from her flower child, always smiling and going on about nature, vibes and auras. She wasn't smiling. She was far from smiling. Inside her complicated thoughts and empty heart only an already cooled down sigh remained within her.

For some time now, she was infatuated by the thought of the one and only Jerome Clarke. She was head over heels in love with the boy.

When she found out that he and his girlfriend broke up, she was utterly happy, despite her nature of being sympathetic and kind, she was glad. And when he kissed her, she was over the moon. They had become a couple but to her dismay and confusion, when he wouldn't even hold her hand when they were in public.

She had thought that he was ashamed of them being together, she tried so hard to push away that thought and in a different, point of view. She was wrong.

He wasn't ashamed of them being a couple; he was merely hiding the fact that during the time that they were a couple, he and Mara had gotten back together.

She felt her whole word crash and burn but she tried not to show it.

She was Willow Jenks. Happy, good natured, a little weird and cooky but she was clever. Clever enough to know that he probably never did love her. She was just a rebond, a quick fix to the heart and when he got back together with Mara, he probably didn't have the heart to say it to Willow's face.

_"I'm sorry Willow" Jerome apologized._

_Both stood outside of Anubis house. The chilly night air sent shivers up both of their spines._

_"Did you ever love me?" Her question caught him off guard._

_He expected her to be angry or to avoid him, like Mara, but of course, this was Willow._

_"If you look at it, somehow" he stared at her "from the point of view of someone else, no." His words were like knives to her heart "But, if you look deeper, yes. "_

_"Then why?" She cleared her throat._

_"I guess, because I was a fool" he answered._

_Willow wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself from the cold. She looked down at her feet._

_"You said you loved me" She stated, still not looking up at him. She could tell he nodded slightly, she cleared her throat and yet her voice still broke "but you love Mara more"_

_"Willow–"_

_"Its fine" she looked up. "I guess in some way I figured. Look, I loved you Jerome but what you did, I'm not sure I can forgive you, I don't think Mara can either" He stiffened when she mention Mara's name. "You want her, I know. I don't mind, anymore. I get it; you love her more than you could possibly love me. I won't die because of it, don't worry."_

_"But, what about us?" He asked "What about the pain I caused you?"_

_She smiled sadly "Even if there is pain now, everything will be alright as long as the world still turns there will be night and day. With or without you, I can live. And now even though, life seems hard, for both of us, especially you just remember there's a rainbow always after the rain."_

_She turned and continued to walk back inside of the house, closing her eyes pulling back her tears, she smiled sadly. She hurried her way to her room, it was over._

After his encounter with Willow, Jerome felt as his something heavy was lifted from his shoulders, but he still felt like something was pricking his heart. _Mara._

Everything was fine with Willow now but Mara was still an issue that he couldn't even begin to handle.

He cheated and lied, and Willow was right, they could never forgive him. Heck, he wouldn't even forgive himself for what he has done.

**Linebreak**

Knocking on the ever so familiar door, Jerome sighed, running his hand through his hair.

Willow opened the door surprise not hidden on her face, after her conversation with him, she was sure he was just going to avoid her now. She didn't expect him to be stand in front of her door.

"I need your help" he stated

She looked into his eyes and she couldn't deny him. He looked so desperate.

She nodded "Come in"

He entered the room and looked around searching for her roommates but all he saw here scattered objects here and there.

"I need a favor" he stated with no trace of hesitation in his voice

"What is it?" she asked, though she already knew what it was.

"It's about Mara," she flinched at the mention of her name, but he seemed to not notice her expression that changed rapidly "I need you to–"

"Jerome" she cut him off "I won't help you"

"But–"

"You need to this on your own"

"But, I just need you to get Mara to the Frobisher library"

"Why?" She furrowed her brows together

"I need to apologize to her but she won't even look at me anymore" he answered

"Okay, but why the library?"

He smiled, "Because, she's Mara. She loves the library."

**Linebreak**

"Mara" Willow called Mara's name as she skipped into the raven haired girls room without even bothering to knock

"Willow?" Mara stood up from her position on her bed, the book that she was reading momentarily forgotten.

"Can you help me with something?" The red haired girl asked, batting her lashes as the small girl in front of her

"With what?" She asked.

She and Willow haven't spoken to each other ever since Jerome's secret got out. And with everything going on, Mara was beyond shocked and confused as to why the girl, who looked practically giddy, was asking her help.

"Can you come with me to the Frobisher library?"

"Why?"

"I have a book I need to find in the library and I can't find it" She stated

"Couldn't you just ask the librarian?" Mara asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was, to be honest.

"Oh, I did" Willow said "She said that, I should ask for your help in finding it instead, seeing as you practically live there"

"Ah, well" she hesitated "Okay"

"Great!" Willow squealed

**Linebreak**

As Mara walked up to the library, Willow trailing behind her, she couldn't help but feel something different from the vibe that she received from the area. It looked the same but it felt different.

Maybe because this was the same place she spent hours in reading and trying to take her mind of Jerome. Maybe because it was because this was the place where they had spent so many times studying and reading together. Laughing with each other, receiving glares and "hushes" from the librarian.

Mara entered the library and was flooded by confusion as they that the library was completely dark, except for the exception of dozens of Christmas lights. Curtains were shutting out the sunlight from the outside, she looked around to see that no one was there. She turned to look back at Willow but she saw that Willow was not following her and the door was now shut.

"Mara…" she heard her name called. She turned and saw Jerome.

It felt strange seeing him. He looked, different. She couldn't point her finger at it but somehow, he did.

"Jerome" She said his name in a bitter tone.

"Mara, can we talk?" He asked stepping closer to her

"I have nothing to say to you" She crossed her arms in front of her bosom

He sighed "Fine, then just listen to me"

"No" she replied firmly "I don't want to hear it"

Jerome groaned in frustration. Why did she have to be so difficult?

"I'm sorry, I know what I did was wrong" He said "And I hurt you, but I just want you to know–"

"Hurt me?" She asked in disbelief "You did more than just hurt me, Jerome!"

"Please, just listen."

"Listen?" She looked at him "Jerome, you broke my trust. You lied and cheated to me, and to Willow! And you want to know what I felt during those times? I kept on thinking that I wasn't good enough for you, that you didn't love me anymore…"

She choked on her last words as tears began to cloud her vision.

"I hated myself for it; I hated seeing myself break down because of you. I kept withering away like a fool because of you and I hated it, I hated you!" She pointed her finger to him as a gesture.

He looked at her and he could see her tears, her eyes red from them. Her voice was breaking with every word of her sentence. She looked so fragile in that moment but he already knew that she was already broken.

"But you want to know what Joy kept telling me?" She continued clearing her throat and allowing her arms to stay by her sides. "That she and Patricia already expected this from you but I defended you, said you've changed but apparently you haven't!"

"Mara, just please, forgive me…" He begged

"You don't deserve my forgiveness, or Willow's for that matter!" She cried "But seeing as she was the one who got me here, she's already forgiven you, but I won't" she shook her head.

His mind was reeling, what was he to do now? He questioned it for a moment as he listened to her rants until he finally gave up.

"You betrayed me, and I can't forgive you–"

"Fine!" He yelled "Don't forgive me then, all I've been trying to do was ask for your forgiveness, correct my mistakes but if you don't want to forgive me, then don't! I don't care anymore!"

She was taken aback by his outburst and fell silent.

"You know me Mara" he continued to yell "You know what I've been through, you know about my past and that I only acted the way I did before was because of it. I didn't think you can forgive me now for what I did but if you can never really forgive me, ever, then don't. I don't care." he said the last part almost as a whisper. His voice was low, barely audible but she still heard it.

He looked down at her, he was breathing heavily, regret suddenly washed over him, he wanted to say sorry, apologize and take back everything he said but couldn't. He knew he couldn't, so, instead of doing everything he wanted, he merely shook his head and walked passed her and out the door.

Jerome walked out angry of the library and as he walked rapidly away he passed by Willow who was waiting from a near, she quickly tried to match his long strides.

"What happened?" She asked but he kept on walking not even giving a glance back at the red hair "Jerome!" She called after him, giving up on trying matching his steps

"Leave me along Willow" He yelled back at her, not turning to look at her.

He just kept walking, not really sure where he was going, and soon enough he found himself running. He was running, running away from the truth. The truth was, he did care if Mara did forgive him or not. But that didn't matter anymore, so he kept running.

* * *

**Almost summer, but I need to finish my **

**clearance before I can actually **

**start my summer vacation. **

**I hate everyone**

**R&R~**


End file.
